Grundy County, TN Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

In 1844, Grundy County was formed on the Cumberland Plateau. In a swatch of land comprising a Swiss colony, a Victorian assembly ground, and a string of old coal camps, the county’s smallest town holds the records. Altamont, home to about a thousand people, is the county seat. Here you’ll find the Register of Deeds, the Assessor of Property, and the County Trustee.

The Swiss colony went by the name Gruetli-Laager; its assembly by the name Monteagle; its names for its coal history were Tracy City and Palmer; and its resort was Beersheba Springs. Savage Gulf and the South Cumberland park lands draw hikers, while cabin buyers gravitate to the plateau towns and bluff-edge tracts. In Grundy County, homes sell in 30 to 60 days, within Tennessee's average timescale.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $124,450 and median rent of $755, alongside a median household income of $52,392.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.45 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Grundy County Property Records

Almost everything is covered with three stops. The state assessment site provides the owner, appraisal, and Map-Group-Parcel number for all parcels free of charge. The Trustee takes care of the tax aspects, which also includes relief programs. The Register of Deeds has free public terminals and a subscription to the U.S. Title Search Network for remote users.

Who Keeps Grundy County Property Records

Property records are maintained at the county level in Tennessee and made public to citizens through the Public Records Act. There are three ways Grundy County collects records:

• Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, and amendments are recorded by the Register of Deeds, documented by the party's name, the legal description, the date recorded, and the book and page. The state recordation tax is collected at recording.

• The Assessor of Property does an appraisal of all parcels based upon market value, and stores the Map-Group-Parcel number and record cards.

• The County Trustee collects the property taxes the County imposes. The Trustee is the tax collector in Tennessee.

Delinquent-tax cases are heard by the Clerk & Master in the Chancery Court. Seven Grundy County towns are charged separately for municipal taxes.

How to Search Grundy County Property Records Online

• Locate the parcel at the state assessment site. Enter Grundy County and the address/owner name, and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• On TNMap, map the boundary, paying special attention to bluff-edge features above Savage Gulf.

• Use the public terminals located at the Register of Deeds, at no cost, or remotely via the U.S. Title Search Network subscription to search the Register's index without having to register in order to view the results.

• Proceed backward through the chain of title for each grantor to the preceding grantee and conduct the same index for deeds of trust, liens, and releases. In older coalbed areas, be alert for broken "mine rights" in the chain.

• Call the Trustee to verify the taxes are up to date.

Register of Deeds: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

There are seven towns on the plateau, and their records are collected by the Register of Deeds. On most financed transactions, Tennessee will have a deed of trust as the instrument to secure the home loan instead of a mortgage. The Register also collects the state recordation tax at recording.

The following kinds of documents are recorded:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Liens, judgments, and amendments

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

Tennessee assesses a portion of the market value of all parcels, based on the class of the parcel. The Map-Group-Parcel number is assigned by the office, the record cards are kept by the office, and the office is responsible for adding to the state's assessment database at the state-scheduled reappraisal.

Use the state assessment site or call to find:

• The person who currently has the deed on record for any parcel

• The Map-Group-Parcel number and legal description are required.

• The appraised value and the assessed value following a class ratio

• The type of the property, such as residential, farm, commercial, etc.

• Factors including square footage, year built, and acreage

County Trustee: Tax Bills and Payments

The Trustee bills the county, collects the taxes, and maintains its own website for balances, etc., and program information. Taxes are due the first Monday in October, and the last day of February is a cut-off date prior to monthly interest.

The Trustee administers the state Tax Relief program for qualifying seniors, disabled homeowners, and veterans.

Property Tax in Grundy County: Classification, Exemptions, and Appeals

Tennessee doesn't have a state property tax. A Grundy County bill is a Grundy County tax, with any town levy, and it starts with a fraction.

How the bill is figured

The assessed value of residential and farm property is 25% of the appraised value, and commercial and industrial property is 40% of the appraised value. A home appraised at $125,000 carries a $31,250 assessed value; at a combined 2% rate, the bill is $625. The rate will never reach the total value of the appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Please contact the Assessor at (931) 692-3596, as corrected information resolves most cases. The formal appeal will be to the County Board of Equalization in June and to the State Board of Equalization, and will be accompanied by comparable sales.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state maintains the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all of the Grundy County boundaries on top of aerial imagery and connects to the assessment data provided by the Comptroller. Gulfs and bluff lines are evident from the sky in the South Cumberland.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The seven towns and the park lands in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Assessment and care of bluff-edge lines are appropriate uses of tax maps. Use a recorded plat and licensed survey to prove any boundary that is significant.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of foreclosure sales in Tennessee.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

If a loan defaults, the substitute trustee provided for in the deed of trust advertises and sells the property at a public auction in accordance with Title 35 of the Tennessee Code. This does not need to be done by the court. That private trustee is NOT the county's tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

Taxes that are not paid are sent to the court. The County files suit in the Chancery Court, the Clerk & Master holds the sale, and a right of redemption is granted for one year after the majority of sales. In Tennessee, the property is never sold for a tax lien; it is sold through the court.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals and the in-office terminals are free. Fees apply to copies, subscriptions, and recording.

The Register collects recordation taxes at recording, and the sworn value on the deed becomes the public record of the price.

How to Record a Document

The provisions of this recording are outlined in Title 66 of the Tennessee Code, Chapter 24. There are four steps:

• Prepare in compliance with Tennessee requirements: notarize signatures, complete property description, and address of the preparer.

• Include the deed requirements: tax parcel number on any conveyance and signed and notarized Oath of Consideration.

• The cost of recording the deed, and recording taxes on the transfer and on the secured debt over $2,000 are due and payable; $0.37 per $100 on the transfer and $0.115 per $100 on secured debt over $2,000.

• Record with the Register of Deeds. Originals are returned after indexing.

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